I posted in veganbodybuilding.com my diet from yesterday because I was pumped that Id gone through the whole day raw, and apparently a lot of things I thought were "raw" aren't. Steel cut oats are processed at a higher temp than is considered "raw" (115 deg f) so even if I don't cook them they've been pre-heated. I couldn't really find info on this. And the cocoa powder I use isn't "raw" because it's processed, and my protein powders aren't raw. I didn't know eating raw was that strict. I may never go completely raw, but I think I'm doing my best by eating lots of whole fruits and veggies and salads, and not cooking them. The whole concept behind raw being healthier for you is that when you heat food it destroys a lot of the nutrients and digestive enzymes, and then your body takes these nutrients from itself to make up for what the food is lacking when it's cooked. It makes sense to me, but honestly I just started to read about it. I know it's definitely easier to eat healthy when eating raw; it's basically impossible to eat any junk food! So far I'm liking it; I've always been interested in reading about nutrition (diet and exercise are definite passions of mine) and I ordered this book on Amazon called "Becoming Raw" and it's basically a beginners manual to the raw foods lifestyle. I can't wait to read it! I had a great workout day today as well; did p90x legs and back and then ab ripper x and WOW it was SO CRAZY! I'd been working out at the gym with a friend for a while, but when he wasn't motivated it was hard to stay pumped. I like a lot of things about the p90x program but what I like about it the most is that the people working out in the dvd are always excited to work out for the day!

The more I read about raw the more I like it. I can't help it! The promises the diet makes are irresistible; longer life, glowing skin, high energy, increased vitality, clearer thoughts, increased athletic performance, reduced aging...it might be total crap. A lot of these things are. BUT because it sounds so amazing the worst that can happen is I shift towards it and if I feel worse I shift away. Doesn't everyone play with their diet and exercise this way? I'll let you know how it goes!

meal 1: soaked steel cut oats (apparently not raw, who would have thought? We'll see if I give them up. 150)

Today was a great day! I've got the book I ordered online, called "Becoming Raw" and all I want to do is sit down and absorb everything! But I've got to do homework, and I'm not sure I'll be done with it in time to get any reading done today! I DID get an early birthday present of a food-processor from my mom, and I'm excited to try some of the recipes in my book by Ani Phyo like Feta Cheeze made out of cashews! It all sounds fun. I went out to lunch today with my friend to break up the monotony of Wednesday and it really helped. It's also my day off from working out, and even though I can't WAIT for my workout tomorrow, it's nice to have more free time during the day. Random fact: did you know that even if you don't cook oatmeal, the steel cut oats were steamed in the factory while they were being rolled out? I haven't stopped eating oats yet; I'm going to get to the end of my supply that I have and decide if I want to cut them out or not.

meal 2: *I missed my snack because I went to an early lunch* Mixed greens with olives, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, peppers, bell peppers, small samplers of tabouli, hummus, and baba ganoush. Also took a bite of my friend's vegan pizza! (300-500)

Totally excited!! My friend recently joined Weight Watchers and is getting super excited about diet and exercise! I asked if she wanted to train with me throughout the year, and if she feels like she wants to do a competition with me she could, and she said yes! She's going to train with me for sure, and if she feels like she wants to compete when the time comes she'll totally do it. She's across the US so we'll just be keeping each other motivated through email: I actually like that better because I do better because if she doesn't feel like working out a certain day it won't ruin my workout!

I've found that the more nutrient-dense foods I eat, the less hungry I feel! This may have to do with the fact that a lot of the fruits and veggies I'm eating are water-dense too...it may have to do with the fact that my body is getting the nutrients it needs and doesn't want more food. Regardless, it's kind of tough because I want to make sure I get enough calories. I've actually been struggling to make myself eat after lunch...I'm just forcing food down my throat! Is this a weird complaint to have? Should I just not eat if I'm not hungry? I wonder how much I would actually eat if I didn't eat when I wasn't hungry! Almost afraid to try, I don't want to eat like 1000 cals or less! Like I said, weird complaint (especially for a girl to have!) But...there it is!

meal 1: (woke up this morning already not hungry! I slept in late too for me...like 8am. usually the puppies don't let me sleep in that late!)

Today was a great day wandering around Denver! I even found this great gourmet mexican restaurant (fresh guacamole! I was in heaven!!) that veganized my food and it was sooo delicious! Sometimes I can't handle how much fun I've had with food since I became vegan. Because I eat what I consider "healthy" most of the time, and because I'm not hurting animals, it's nice to eat virtually guilt-free! Maybe some guys don't get this, but girls know what I'm talking about. It's incredibly liberating. I made a vow today and I'm hoping to live by it, "Don't eat anything I would feel bad about eating, and don't feel bad about the things I DO choose to eat." It's all about making conscious choices. I'm a fan of it. Today was a p90x yoga day. Love love love yoga day it makes me happy all day.

meal 1: 1/2 cup soaked steel cut oats (150) 2 tbsp cocoa powder (20) 2 tbsp brown rice protein powder (120) 1/3 cup blueberries (30)post-workout: vega (110)meal 2: chips and salsa and guacamole (SO good!) and a salad with mango jicima (or it tasted like mangoes) and grapes and pumpkin seeds (again, no idea on calories for this. I always guesstimate at least 500 cals when I go out to eat, even though I'm somewhat careful to eat healthy when I go out)meal 3: apple (70)meal 4: 2 carrots (50), then I made this awesome blended puree soup thing with avocado (100) cucumber (15) bok choy (15) cilantro (5) and salsa (15)guess I was still craving mexican food! I also ate some edamame on the side (120) meal 5: put some unsweetened cocoa powder (1.5tbsp) in hot water and pretended it was hot cocoa! (15) felt very celebrate-y today

The running bug! I'd been really struggling with the motivation to run, which is why I started doing p90x. I've had zero desire to run for over a month now. And it hit me. I want to run a marathon. This is bad. If I want to compete in a bikini competition why am I obsessed with the idea of a marathon? I tried to train last year, and I managed to run 2 half marathons (with a third coming up in a few weeks, which I haven't felt like training for at all.) I don't know why I want to do it. But I do. I'll have to figure out if I can squash this urge...otherwise I'm gonna have to do it! When I want to run it's like an addiction...I have a problem lol. All I know is I'm browsing the internet for races happening during my breaks from school.

meal 3: 2 slices ezekial bread (160) avocado (100) salsa (15) <- felt sick after this, don't know why...it killed my legs workout though which sucked. It was legs and back day for p90x which is one of my favorites!

I'm so excited!! I found the most fabulous marathon next march in Napa Valley; it's a trail marathon, and is limited to 400 participants. Sounds so gorgeous and fun! I know this is a bit of a detour from bikini competition, but the thought hit me yesterday and I seriously couldn't control it! I barely slept; all I could do was think I wanted to do a marathon. I couldn't focus in class. I get excited about things. And then I have to do it. Marathon training until next March, bikini comp from end of March until August (which is when I want to compete). I think it'll be good incentive to keep working out after my marathon, when I'm SURE I"ll be tired of running and have to think of creative ways to inspire myself in the gym. So...that's what going to happen! yay! Also, apetite was back today...probably because I was tired from not sleeping much last night. Either way, it feels good not to feel stupid full all the time.

I'm a raw/living foods instructor/chef via the teachings of Alissa Cohen. Alissa teaches more high end gourmet style foods, but her book is packed with hundreds of recipes you can utilize in your journey & is very eye opening. Please be mindful that you can still overindulge as a raw foodie with over doing the natural fats, lots of avacados, high nuts etc., I actually put ON weight initially because I was so amazed at all the cookies, pies, & raw chocolate goodies I could create...but it'll get you in to trouble. So, just keep your greens at 50%+ when embarking upon this journey into living foods. There's soooo many lovely raw dishes that taste way better than their cooked counterparts.

I'm going out on retreat for 2 weeks but will check back with you to see how you're going.

Oh btw, I just did my first figure comp. I started training at 26% body fat, when I hit the stage I was at 12% (still a bit high for figure competing, but it was a great sense of accomplishment to be MY PERSONAL BEST, so only ever do this for YOU.) *I'm the one in the center in the pic.*

You look great! I'd love to hear more advice from you about eating more raw. I'm definitely not going 100 percent raw, but I agree with you about being careful with the fat intake. I just signed up for a marathon which will be on March 20th, and plan on competing in bikini next August so...I might not need to cut back on food much for a while.

Leaf Restaurant kicks A**Love the restaurant I went to for lunch today! Gorgeous atmosphere, the waiter was super nice and I got to wander around downtown for a while with friends. Lunch out on Wednesday really breaks up the week. Did p90x kenpo today and it felt too easy...I should have pushed it more because p90x is brutal when you try. Oh well. I'll get some next time. Marathon training doesn't Officially start until like November 15th, so I'm mostly antsy to start that. Thinking of jogging 10 miles this weekend to see how it feels after I've taken a break from distance running. I've got a half marathon coming up that I'm basically bsing my way through and it would be nice to see if I can do it

meal 2: delicious, awesome fabulous lunch at leaf restaurant. Had a grilled tofu sanwhich with hummus and small side salad with sprouts and some pumpkin seeds. (I always say 500 when I go out I have no clue) It was delish! Then wandered to this cute bakery and got a mini vegan cupcake with a strawberry on top! It was seriously the tiniest cupcake I'd ever seen in my life (the base would be like between a quarter and silver dollar size, and it was like 1.5 inches tall!) I also got this delicious piece of dark chocolate. Indulgent? Yes. But I eat sweets like every thousand years so I don't feel too bad about it. I'd say the two treats combined would be 200 cals max

meal 4: apple (70)

post-workout: vega (110)

meal 5: totally random meal I just kind of picked things out of my kitchen. Vegan Gardenburger (80) and snacked on edamame (120)